Off-Site Insight by First Base Solutions

Beyond the book report If you need to reproduce a section of our maps and imagery to incorporate into your design proposal, research results, or similar professional documentation, spare a little room in your composition to cite your data sources correctly.  It not only fulfills the legal requirements of our EULA , the credibility and professionalism of your work goes up as well. Below you'll find some common examples for citing the source of data you've acquired from First Base Solutions as an inline citation in the border of a map or graphical compilation of data, figure details, footnote, or bibliography.

How to get geo data for any industry Doesn't matter what you do, if you're doing it in Ontario, you need current, high quality maps and spatial data to support your business activities. Download the infographic to learn more.

What do you really know about mapping? Maps take us from point A to point B, but what else can they do? Where does geographic data come from and how does it benefit businesses? Don’t fall for these common misconceptions about maps. Download the infographic to learn more.

Maps tell stories, but do you know the story of maps?   Download the complete infographic as a PDF

Answer a few simple questions to find out if you really need new aerial imagery They're not rainbows, it's the visible portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, (i.e. light) the very stuff we capture for you in aerial photography. Download the infographic below to figure out what mapping data you need for your project and the best way to get it.

Take the VuMAP Shortcut Download the infographic below to see how much time and money you can save on property and title searches compared to traditional methods.

Plane or satellite, both are great options Download the infographic below to find a solution for every industry.

Researching land information?  Download the infographic below to find a solution for every industry.

To develop, or not to develop in the floodplain? I often get calls from developers, engineers, and regular home owners looking to make a few changes to their properties. If that property is crossed by a water feature, you may need to apply for a Development, Interference with Wetlands and Alterations to Shorelines and Watercourses permit in the course of having a development application approved.

Strategic acquisition strengthens resources, product offerings We are pleased to announce that effective October 19, 2015 J.D. Barnes Limited has acquired the assets of the professional land surveying firm Guido Papa Surveying Ltd. located in Woodbridge.

Three days of shooting the breeze with our best clients.   What's CanWEA? The Annual Canadian Wind Energy Conference & Exhibition is the meeting point for all members of the wind energy industry – top business executives, technical experts, decision and policy makers, and government representatives – to come together and address the key issues facing the industry today.

Finding terrain mapping can be an uphill battle Elevation data from FBS is usually sold as either DEM with spot heights and break lines, or, as 1m interval contour lines derived from those DEM, but, we have a few other products you might not know about.

How to choose the right kind, what you'll get, and how to get it cheaper Parcel data is one of our biggest sellers, so naturally we get a lot of questions about it. Keep the handy chart below as a reference or check our FAQ's . Related: How To Buy Teranet Parcels For CAD & GIS

DON'T PANIC FBS is a satellite imagery provider. We work with DigitalGlobe to bring you the most advanced commercial space imagery in the universe. Ordering is kind of complicated though, so leave that part to us.

Look past the price tag to see real value Here we reviewed the differences between aerial and satellite imagery and how to download it for CAD and GIS projects. But what if you just need access to view the imagery outside of a traditional desktop mapping software?

You've got options when it comes to sourcing imagery Did you know the free imagery you see online is a composite of different sources? Look through the historical imagery on Google Earth and you'll see FBS's own orthophoto when zoomed in for maximum detail. If you need to download this type of imagery - aerial or satellite - and use it locally, FBS can help you navigate the ordering process for archived imagery, or arrange a fresh, custom collection. Even if you don't see it on MapWarehouse, we can get it for you!   Related: Ordering Imagery From The Final Frontier [Cheat Sheet]

So... what exactly am I paying for? Do you know what vital piece of information you need to plan your project and can't find it? Maybe you're not even sure where to begin looking. Start by checking out the essential cheat sheets below - and visit FBS University for more reference materials and free sample data . What's available? How is a data product different from a similar data product? What formats are available? Who uses it and what's it for? How to get it? Related: Saving, Surfing, or Streaming? How to choose the data delivery method that's right for your project

How to choose the data delivery method that's right for your project It's come to our attention that many of you are confused by what data products FBS has to offer and how to access them. Sorry about that. We've been working on enhancing our websites and making more reference materials available. Below you'll find some handy cheat sheets to help figure it out. Related: The Essential Cheat Sheet For Purchasing Digital Geo Data

Movie makers inspired by us real life cartographers have glamorized our craft. Art imitates life. In honour of TIFF , First Base salutes maps in film. More than just geospatial data, maps in movies hang in the background, set the scene, define the battlefront, point the way and sometimes play a starring role themselves. Take a look at the clips below of the best in cinematic cartographic representations as recommended by you, the internet surfing movie watching public. Do you have a favourite? The roll of best map goes to...

Pull new insights from your GPS data to guide smart decision making with better base maps.

Ghosts's eye view of Toronto's spookiest places That chill in the air - it's not the seasons turning.  Toronto has a spooky side.  Take a look at the sites below with notorious reputations for hauntings. How well do you know the city? Can you guess the locations? Check your answers below.

Spotlight on cinema The annual migration of celebrities and paparazzi is about to descend on downtown Toronto once again for TIFF 2015 . At First Base , we make pictures of a different kind, orthophoto , which give us an overhead perspective to produce highly accurate maps, but also let us gaze upon the intricate details of the city from an angle seldom seen by stars of the film variety.

Books open, pencils ready... University in September; an exciting and busy time indeed! Ontario has many options.  Take a look below at all the university campuses in Ontario to see where you're sending your kids, and how each school compares. Did you go to a bustling, urban campus with a city-sized student population, or a spacious, northern campus with a more intimate education experience?  How did the school's geography affect your studies, social life, and overall experience? Leave comments below.

Agricultural festivals offer something for everyone It's harvest time again in Ontario!  With back to school just around the corner, fall fairs like the CNE in Toronto see mass crowds of fun seekers skipping out on a hum drum day at the office to whack a few moles, spin a few teacups, take in a show, and gorge on something deep fried and covered in sprinkles. All over Ontario at this time, local fall fairs celebrate the season's bounty with unique festivals, competitions and traditions.  Here's a just a few spots where you'll find some fun this fall:

VuMAP opens the gateway to efficient project planning Pop quiz: A customer contacts you for a quote to install fencing. What do you do next?

Turning a pipedream into reality First Base Solutions ' parent company, J.D. Barnes , has been providing surveying, mapping, and related land information services to support the development of TransCanada's Energy East Pipeline Project. The much needed infrastructure project, stretching 4600km across the country will safely deliver 1.1 million barrels of oil per day from Alberta to refineries and port terminals in New Brunswick when complete. 

Clear the way for hiking, biking, and snowmobiling more efficiently with aerial imagery Follow our crew as they bravely travel great distances and battle the perils of the wilderness, blazing sun, and mosquitoes as big as your head to maintain trails...the old way.

Tank crude communication methods Follow our crew as they bravely travel great distances and battle the perils of the wilderness, blazing sun, and mosquitoes as big as your head to inspect remote infrastructure...the old way.

Aerial imagery lets you research the customer's property from your office Pop quiz: A residential customer contacts you for a quote to build a deck behind their house. What do you do next?  

Build Quotes At Record Speed Pop quiz: A residential customer contacts you for a quote to build an extension on their house. What do you do next?  

Get sliding profits back on the upswing Pop quiz: A commercial customer contacts you for a quote to install a playground. What do you do next?  

Pool biz sinking or swimming?  Pop quiz: A commercial customer contacts you for a quote to install an inground pool. What do you do next?  

Get the big picture with aerial imagery Follow our crew as they bravely travel great distances and battle the perils of the wilderness, blazing sun, and mosquitoes as big as your head to maintain trails, irrigation equipment and remote facilities...the old way.

Spelling FBS out for you Clues and answers are below. Don't cheat! (All the answers can be found on firstbasesolutions.com )

Work full steam ahead with aerial imagery Follow our crew as they bravely travel great distances and battle the perils of the wilderness, blazing sun, and mosquitoes as big as your head to inspect remote infrastructure...the old way.

Can you see the forest for the trees without the aerial imagery? Follow our crew as they bravely travel great distances and battle the perils of the wilderness, blazing sun, and mosquitoes as big as your head to inspect remote infrastructure...the old way.

Brighten up your profit margin with simple map based tools Pop quiz: A commercial customer contacts you for a quote to install roof top solar panels. What do you do next?

Don't flake out on job preparation Pop quiz: A commercial customer contacts you for a quote to plough parking lots and private roads this winter. What do you do next?

Time wasting old methods can sod off!   Pop quiz: A commercial customer contacts you for a quote to lay sod. What do you do next?  

Make accurate quotes without visiting the site Pop quiz: A commercial customer contacts you for a quote to replace a roof. What do you do next?

Optimize business processes immediately with hands-on mapping technology Pop quiz: A commercial customer contacts you for a quote to repave a parking lot. What do you do next?

Saving a few pennies makes cents When? Effective July 1 - September 30, 2015 What's Included? Vintage orthophoto - Any orthophoto from 2013 or older qualifies for this promotion. Discounting will be 20% off the subtotal at regular price, which may include volume discounts.

Are you GAME day ready? Two important dates for outdoor recreation enthusiasts in Ontario are coming up at the end of the month.  First, bass season opens the last weekend in June for most areas.  Second, applications for the annual doe tag draw are due June 30. If your plans involve heading into the woods, especially an area you're not familiar with, First Base Solutions has maps and solutions to help you plan your expedition, stay safe, and keep it legal.

Partnering up for safety, efficiency, and accuracy. First Base Solutions (FBS), a leading provider of geospatial data and services is excited to announce its new relationship with Ontario One Call (ON1Call). FBS worked with ON1Call to develop a mapping interface that allows homeowners and contractors to easily and accurately submit location tickets for underground utilities on properties.

(There's also a prize draw) What's The Prize? One custom large format (approximately 18" x 24") printed aerial photo of your home or business from First Base Solutions ' aerial image archives. How Do I Enter? Sign up to receive our newsletter.

Get up to 35% off 30cm imagery Earlier this year, DigitalGlobe moved the industry a major step forward with the introduction of 30 cm imagery. Our customers can experience this groundbreaking product at promotional pricing which takes effect immediately and continues through December 31, 2015. Under this program, the price of 30cm imagery has been reduced by up to 35%.

Save time and money in a few easy steps If you're a title search specialist, a law clerk, or perform similar property research functions as part of your business, you can use VuMAP , a feature-packed online mapping application with easy to use , built in tools to research property information, compare aerial imagery year over year, and measure, draw and make notes over the map, to save time and money on difficult searches. Follow the step by step example below to see how.

Archiving paper map collections for good Technology is a disruptor to traditional industries. No business is immune, including mapping. By this time, most of us have traded in our glossy yellow 800 page spiral-bound gas station staples for something more functional and purse friendly.

Save time and money in a few easy steps If you work in any outdoor trade with a crew of mobile workers and equipment, you can use VuMAP , a feature-packed online mapping application with easy to use, built in tools to measure, draw, compare imagery year over year, and research property information, to save time and money on project administration. Follow the step by step example below to see how.